The Impact of Caregiving on the Development of Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Eve Markey

doi:10.5334/jeps.cn

Abstract

Providing care for a relative is associated with psychological distress and a higher prevalence of psychological disorders. This study investigated the prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders among the caregiving population. The study was based on data drawn from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys (CPES). Binary logistic regressions were conducted to examine these associations and to identify factors influencing the development of depressive and anxiety disorders. The analysis indicated that respondents providing care for a relative were at a higher risk of developing a psychological disorder. A number of socio-demographic variables were identified as increasing the risk of developing a psychological disorder such as being younger, female and divorced. The findings highlight the importance of support and interventions for family caregivers.

Highlights

Research has demonstrated that racial and ethnic differences exist within the level of psychological distress experienced by caregivers
A survey conducted by the National Association for Caregiving and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP, 2004) with a large sample of over 1500 caregiving families found that when compared with caregivers of physically disabled older adults, caregivers of relatives with dementia provided more assistance and reported that providing care was more stressful, impacted more on time spent with their other family members, and had a higher rate of work related difficulties
In order to overcome the deficits of previous research, the primary aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of both depression and anxiety disorders, among individuals caring for a relative with either a physical or a psychological illness

Summary

Introduction

Research has demonstrated that racial and ethnic differences exist within the level of psychological distress experienced by caregivers. Research conducted by Teri et al (1992) demonstrated that the care of an older relative with both dementia and depression was associated with higher levels of burden compared to caregivers of a relative with a physical illness such as heart disease. Most previous research has been based on a small sample size of caregivers who are providing care for people with specific illnesses such as dementia or heart disease. These studies due to their sample sizes cannot be generalised to the population. In order to achieve the aims, this study has three main hypotheses: (1) there will be a higher prevalence of depressive and anxiety disorders among people providing care for an ill relative; (2) there will be a higher prevalence of depressive and anxiety disorders among people providing care for a relative with a psychological rather than a physical illness; and (3) work status, marital status, education, age, and gender of the caregiver will significantly affect the likelihood of developing a depressive or anxiety disorder

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